Melanie
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness"[1] and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".[2] Borne in its Latin form by two saints, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter Melania the Younger,[3] the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. However, the name only became common in English usage in the 1930s because of the popularity of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and its 1939 film adaptation, as one of the novel's main characters was named Melanie Hamilton. The name's popularity increased until the 1970s, since remaining constant. Melanie was the 80th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 1957 and, as Mélanie, it was the 86th most popular name for girls born in France in 2004.[3]
Gender | Female |
---|---|
Language(s) | Greek |
Origin | |
Region of origin | Greece |
Other names | |
Nickname(s) | Mel |
Related names | Melany |
People named Melanie
- Melanie Blake, English talent agent and author
- Melanie Blatt (born 1975), British singer, member of All Saints
- Melanie le Brocquy (1919–2018), Irish sculptor
- Melanie Brown (Mel B) (born 1975), British singer and member of the Spice Girls
- Melanie Chisholm (Melanie C) (born 1974), British singer and member of the Spice Girls
- Melanie Clewlow (born 1976), English hockey defender
- Melanie Counsell (born 1964), Welsh filmmaker, installation artist and sculptor
- Melanie Doane (born 1967), Canadian singer
- Melanie Eusebe (born 1977), British entrepreneur
- Melanie Fiona (born 1983), Canadian singer
- Melanie Fontana (born 1986), American singer
- Melanie Gabriel (born 1976), English singer
- Melanie Wade Goodwin (1970–2020), American politician
- Melanie Griffith (born 1957), American actress
- Melanie Hahnemann (1800–1878), homeopath
- Melanie Hall (1970–2004), English murder victim
- Melanie Hall (basketball) (born 1977), Australian athlete
- Sister Mary Melanie Holliday (1850-1939), American Catholic nun
- Melanie Jans (born 1973), Canadian squash player
- Melanie Johnson (born 1955), British politician
- Melanie Klaffner (born 1990), Austrian tennis player
- Melanie Klein (1882–1960), Austrian-born British psychoanalyst
- Melanie Kreis (born 1971), German businesswoman
- Melanie Lambert (born 1974), American adagio and pair skater
- Melanie Leslie (born 1961), dean of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
- Melanie Lynskey (born 1977), New Zealand actress
- Melanie Martinez (born 1972), American actress
- Melanie Martinez (singer) (born 1995), American singer-songwriter
- Melanie Marquez (born 1964), Filipina beauty queen, Miss International 1979
- Melanie Mayron (born 1952), American actress
- Melanie McFadyean (1950–2023), British journalist
- Melanie McGuire (born 1972), American criminal who murdered her husband, dismembered his body and put it into suitcases
- Melanie Melanson (born 1974), a missing teenager from Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts since 1989
- Melanie Merkosky (born 1986), Canadian actress
- Melanie Nolan (born 1960), New Zealand historian
- Melanie Phillips (born 1951), British journalist
- Melanie Safka (born 1947), American singer/songwriter born Melanie Anne Safka, professionally known as Melanie
- Melanie South (born 1986), British tennis player
- Melanie Stabel (born 1999), German sport shooter
- Melanie Stansbury (born 1979), American politician and scientist
- Melanie Thornton (1967–2001), American pop singer
- Melanie Weisner (born 1986), American professional poker player
- Melanie Berg (born 1995), New Zealand Public Servant
People named Mélanie
Mélanie is a feminine French given name. Notable people with the name include:
- Mélanie Bernier (b. 1985), French actress
- Mélanie Bonis (1858–1937), French composer
- Mélanie Calvat (1831–1904), French nun
- Mélanie Cohl (b. 1982), Belgian singer
- Mélanie Doutey, French actress
- Mélanie Laurent (b. 1983), French actress and director
- Mélanie de Pourtalès (1836–1914), French salonnière and courtier
- Mélanie Turgeon (b. 1976), Canadian skier
Fictional characters
- Melanie Barnett, a character from the television series The Game
- Melanie Bush, a character in the television series Doctor Who
- Melanie Daniels, a character in the film The Birds
- Melanie Hamilton, a character in the novel Gone with the Wind
- Melanie Jonas, a former character on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives
- Melanie Marcus, a character in the television series Queer as Folk
- Melanie Stryder, a character from the book The Host by Stephenie Meyer
- Melanie Walker, a character from Batman Beyond
See also
- Melania
- Mélanie (album), album by Céline Dion
References
- Melania, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon at Perseus project
- Melas, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon at Perseus project
- Behind the Name